
Seize the Crown!
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Readme Notes
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Design concept
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This scenario has been developed primarily for stand-alone play, for those who like a large game and lots of units. Although starting strengths are modest, a Baron will have to expand mightily before he is ready to attempt to claim the throne. He has 50 years (200 game turns) to do this - and secure his dynasty by taking the majority of English towns.

A variant of this scenario is under development for multiplayer/network games, or for those who prefer a shorter scenario. This will probably have 100 game turns, and a much smaller map. I hope to have this ready in late 2001.

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Introduction and historical background
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The inspiration for this game came from the artistically-superb "Cross and Crescent" game, designed by BeBro(Bernd) - home site at http://www.crosswinds.net/~cbrosing/CivSiteMain.htm

The knights were particularly well drawn and got me thinking what sort of scenario could re-use them - preferably one based around the history of England, and one that concentrated more on in-fighting amongst similar opponents. My researches turned up the "Anarchy" during the reign of King Stephen. This period seems ideally suited for such a game: the sort of units I wanted appeared towards the end of the game, two main contenders are at loggerheads, providing scope for smaller fish to snap up gains and maybe become big fish themselves, and a fragmented political situation, allowing many "civs" to contend - and lots of "barbarians".

In 1135, King Henry I ("Beauclerc", son of William the Conqueror, King of England and Duke of Normandy) died after a long and successful reign. His son Arthur had drowned earlier on, and his last years were dominated by his attempts to force his followers to accept his only remaining child - Matilda - as his successor. All of the major barons duly swore allegiance to Matilda - then as soon as Henry died, decided to support instead the claim of Matilda's cousin, Stephen of Blois, to the throne. For most of them, the freely admitted reason for this was their reluctance to accept a woman on the throne. Also, Stephen was a charming, vigorous man, skilled in war. Matilda, most historians agree, was a cold, arrogant woman, skilled only in making enemies. 

Nevertheless, Matilda could call on the fact that she was the only surviving child of the previous King, and more importantly, all of the Barons in England and Normandy had sworn to acknowledge her claim. She had been in France (with her second husband, Geoffrey, Duke of Anjou) when Henry died and Stephen seized power. After several years preparing the ground, Matilda's kinsman Duke Roger of Gloucester declared for the Empress (so-called because her first husband had been Holy Roman Emperor) and Matilda landed at Arundel, on the south coast of England, to lead the fight (Autumn 1139). Incredibly to modern eyes, Stephen had her trapped in Arundel, but instead chivalrously escorted her to Bristol to join with Duke Roger in his West Country power base. Her ally, King David of Scotland, had earlier attacked the north of England in her support but had been repulsed and was in an uneasy cease-fire. Many barons sided with one side or the other - many more waited and watched.

This is the point at which the scenario starts.

Matilda went on to have a series of skirmishes, sieges and near escapes fighting Stephen, but in 1141 her allies trapped Stephen near Lincoln and captured him. Matilda entered London and was about to have herself crowned Queen, when Stephen's wife (also called Matilda, confusingly) appeared nearby with a large army. Matilda had already annoyed the Londoners by proposing to tax them heavily and she was effectively kicked out of the capital. Weeks later, Roger of Gloucester was himself captured by forces still loyal to Stephen, and Matilda had no option but to swap Stephen for Roger. She never came close to becoming Queen again. (Some sources call Roger, Robert - but I have used Roger to avoid confusion with Earl de Lacy.)

Meanwhile, her husband Geoffrey (called "Plantagent" from his habit of wearing a spig of the Broom plant - "Planta Genet" in latin - in his cap) had used his Angevin forces to capture all of Normandy. The two camps were at stand-off for the next decade, but the Barons of England played each side against the other and raised their own armies and fought their own wars. Stephen had lost a lot of his original credit with the great landowners, and was never able to assert his authority fully.

When Stephen's own son Eustace died in 1153 (whew - nearly had a King Eustace there!) he agreed with Matilda that her son, Henry, would become the next King. Stephen enjoyed barely a year's peace before he died in 1154. Henry Plantagenet was crowned Henry II and reasserted Royal control of the country. In my scenario, the King after Stephen might be you!

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Game objectives
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Starting in 1139, you take one of the four great baronies of England. Play as Humphrey de Bohun, Richard Neville, Hugh Bigod or Robert de Lacy, as you start your career as the 15-year-old head of a family that came to England with the Conqueror - and that may still have landholdings in Normandy.

Playing as Stephen, Matilda or King David is possible, but I suggest you do this in a later game. Reasons are given below.

Historical purists, please note: these barons were not all 15 in 1139, in fact some of them weren't even born. Barons like de Redvers and de Warenne were major players, too. However, these four families were nicely split geographically and their holdings at the start of the game approximate closely to their real ones around this time. However, I haven't shrunk from giving them un-historical holdings where this improves the game balance.

You are trying to become King of England before you die in 1189, at 65 years of age. To become King, you need the Kingdom tech (Fundamentalist Govt) and then to change to that government form. There are three ways to get this tech (only). Capture or kill Stephen, take the city of London, or steal the tech. Stealing is unfortunately impossible to stop, but you can only do it when you are already in rebellion and it is unlikely you will succeed anyway. However, this is not all. Once you are King you must control the vast majority of English towns to gain general acceptance. I suggest that the first time you play at Earl (King in classic Civ) level.

John Ellis  (netdesign@zoom.co.uk)